Nitto Legends – Review

Nitto 1320 Legends, an old game, renowned for its 2d drag racing features was first released in 2007 following its predecessor Nitto 1320 Challenge. The franchise itself has been available to download and use for over a decade however its peak years for players are those of now. Nitto 1320 has been known for allowing virtual racers the ability to change and customize their cars with the same amount of freedom as they would expect real life. The single greatest improvement that game with legends was the ability to race ‘head-to-head’ live replacing the previous feature of turn-based racing in Challenge. I have now been playing this game for over 6 years and with it comes memories, and lots of them. However things have changed over the years for the best and for the worst, stick around and find out how the game is as of 2013.

Screenshot of main login page showing the graphics of the game.

The graphics within the game are extremely modern and are a massive step up from the games predecessor, that being said, the graphics still aren’t very impressive. Then again I can understand and accept this and still have fun with the game because I know that graphics are not the focus on the game at all. Unfortunately, I fear that some people will now be able to cope without the action-packed 3d graphics blowing their minds such as the Dirt or Forza series’. For those that can though, a lot of good is waiting on you.

The initial finding of the game is extremely easy as the games website can be found in multiple locations, those such as magazines as well as all over the internet. The link will be located below for anyone that is interested. Once you visit the site it is extremely easy to jump straight into the game itself, one quick click and the game will be downloading, problem is, it’s a huge file and so may take multiple hours to download depending on your connection. Another down side may be the fact it is live and online meaning you must have an internet connection to play at any time. Once downloading I advise you to take a look at the game guide as it is extremely well explained and fairly up to date. Now, as mentioned above the game is a drag related using real life cars in life-style races, with exaggerated outcomes for effect. Being a racing game it is obviously all about speed and so the most powerful car, with this game you can tune your car to the max from adding body kits to performance parts while testing the parts out on a practice track where you may decide to race.

Screenshot of a car part ready for purchase.

The racing side of the game is extremely hard to pick up as you have to ‘split’ your brain into doing multiple procedures at once, for one your mouse for two your keys and for three looking at your screen. The idea is you pull up your mouse as you accelerate whilst using the arrow keys to change gear whilst trying to get a good reaction time (RT). Sound difficult? It is but as they say, practice makes perfect. The video below provides an in depth tutorial on racing provided by former staff member and all round epic guy, Dylan Roach.

Nitto 1320 Legends has a lot of young fans, just as its predecessor did. It also has a lot of older players, though and while some formally young fans may now be the older fans, one thing as stayed the same: the scamming. Yes, the Nitto community is infested with scammers, even to this day. Although, now it feels like they are dealt with much faster than in the past, with the addition of a large staff team. You’re almost as likely to have a hard-core discussion on cars and drag racing as you are to have a stranger ask you for your username and password so that he can give you the best cars, points and unlimited money.

Another thing I noticed is that the community, in size, is rather large however a lot of the players do not speak English – which isn’t a bad thing, it just makes it hard for an English speaker like me to make a way and enjoy the game to its fullest. That being said, I have become overly successful with the game. Considering that Legends has a lot more emphasis on player versus player challenges, this really makes for a difficult time trying to have fun. You ask questions and all you get is a lot of, ‘jajajajaja’ and words that you think might be insults but you aren’t sure. This is another downside because Nitto 1320 is one of those games that basically require you to rely on other players to teach you secrets, tricks and techniques some of which can be found below.

In its current state, the game is going downhill however there is an upside, a rather small group of less than 2% of the overall game population, these are people that do their best to see the upside of the game while providing a safe dealing area for people wanting to sell cars and other items to players. This group however also deals with ‘illegal’ transactions, those such as selling in game cash and cars for real money. The game can be rather profitable if you ask me.

Screenshot of the end of a race, winner presented.

The gameplay in Nitto 1320 Legends is very similar to the original 1320 Challenge. As I’ve already mentioned, the biggest difference is a more realistic physics engine that makes fine-tuning your car all the more important. Another big difference is the addition of live racing, something that was absent from the previous Challenge. This means that live tournaments that allow for spectators are available. The downside to 1320 is that it is behind other games by a long shot, and so may not appeal to anyone but hard-core drag racing fans, those with weaker computers or those with slow internet connection.

Live tournaments, new addition to the new version.

There are a couple of ways to race. The Dial-In method known as bracket racing, where you try to predetermine your time and do your best to get as close as you can too it without going over it. Then there is the head-to-head method, which is self-explanatory and my personal favourite. You can choose to wager on the race, or you can have it just be a friendly challenge. Just hope your opponent accepts.

A lot of the game doesn’t consist of the actual racing, but preparing for races. This means tiny details such as car shopping, parts shopping, and tuning your vehicle parts for maximum speed output and efficiency are key for being a successful racer. The game world is broken into several parts, and your goal is basically to start at the bottom with nothing and make it into the big leagues by buying property in other parts of the map. Only the best of the best are allowed access to the top zone on the map. You can even start or join a racing team, which provides a sort of clan-like community that you may know from other online games.

F1 for sale on the game’s used car lot.

Nitto Legends – Review

Nitto 1320 Legends, an old game, renowned for its 2d drag racing features was first released in 2007 following its predecessor Nitto 1320 Challenge. The franchise itself has been available to download and use for over a decade however its peak years for players are those of now. Nitto 1320 has been known for allowing …

Review Overview

Overall Score - 80%

80

80%

Summary : Overall I believe this game is one of the top in its category however it hasn't had much care or attention in the past few months, with the removal of several admins and addition of new ones with rumours from the community that the game is in fact closing its doors. That being said the game is not closing as confirmed by admins and I do still get on from time to time and over the years I have come to be rather popular in the game and so I hope to see you out on the track. Overall I’d rate the game 4/5 as there are improvements that can be made, yet it is a great time consuming way to have fun.